Like any other investment that you’ll make in your lifetime, keeping up a yacht is a full time job and one that requires quite a bit of foresight when it comes to maintenance. Like a car or truck, regular maintenance is a staple in yacht ownership, so it’s best to get yourself on a maintenance plan that meets the needs of your yacht before problems and defects occur.

Far and above simply putting yourself on a scheduled maintenance plan, finding the right service provider is crucial in making sure that your yacht is receiving the care and attention it needs all year round. Take a look at some of the basic things you should consider when looking into scheduled yacht maintenance in Fort Lauderdale.

Make a timetable for yourself: Unlike cars and trucks, yachts don’t always have a set-in-stone recommended service timeline for some of their important maintenance items. Sure, having your yacht’s oil and filter changed every 100 hours or so is pretty set in stone, but other maintenance items vary, such as when to have your yacht waxed and polished, based on how often you’re on the water. Make yourself a timetable of the service schedules you know and be sure to list out the items you’re not set in stone on, so that they remain priorities for you.

Stick with the same service provider: Bouncing around from service center to service center when it comes to caring for your yacht means dealing with new personnel each time you bring your boat in for service, which doesn’t at all bode well for the overall care of your yacht. Sticking with a recurring service center for scheduled yacht maintenance in Fort Lauderdale means having the same eyes on your yacht at all times, creating awareness when dealing with your yacht specifically.

Don’t skimp on your priorities: The dilemma often arises when it’s time to bring your yacht in for one service, but it’s not quite due for another. Unfortunately, this leads many yacht owners to skip the current service in anticipation that they can kill two birds with one stone when the need for another service item rolls around, however it doesn’t always end up that way. Maintenance items that are left to fester often create problems before they create conveniences…

Look ahead to plan your maintenance: Going off of the previous point, it’s always a good idea to be aware of the upcoming maintenance items that your yacht is going to require far in advance of actually needing them. This will help you to make appropriate appointments, allocate funds to pay for the maintenance and give you an idea of how to treat your boat in the mean time.

If you follow these few basic tips regarding scheduled yacht maintenance in Fort Lauderdale, you shouldn’t have too many problems keeping your boat in seafaring condition—disregarding them or skipping your maintenance altogether, however, is going to leave you with a headache and a hole in your pocketbook.